A New Leaf
by Frootkake Productions
Summary: COMPLETE! Mild slash warning cuz Warren says mean stuff...This is an Andrew-centric story in which he turns down Warren (FINALLY!), finds the potential for True Love (WITH A GIRL!), and has misadventures (CUZ NOTHING GOES THE WAY YOU WANT IT TO!). R&R!
1. He Says No

Disclaimer:  Not mine, not mine.  But look me in the eye, and tell me this isn't the way it should go.  Seriously.  Andy isn't a bad guy, he's just a victim of bad circumstances.  I mean, his brother summoned Hell Hounds to crash the Prom.  Can you imagine what living at home would have been like?  Or how absentee his parents must have been?  "Tucker, Dear, what are you doing?"  "Summoning Hell Hounds, Mom."  "Did you finish your homework?"  "Yes, Mom,"  "Where's your brother?"  "Playing with his toys alone in his room, Mom."  "Ooh, I wish that boy would own up and face life.  He can't hide in his room for the rest of his life with his toys!  He needs to get out there, make some friends, experience new experiences, get a tan, and realize that sometimes you don't get what you want, but that you have to get back on that horse!  Tucker, what did you say you were doing?"  "Uh, nothin'."

**Uhh…sorry 'bout that…hehe**

**Read and review, and tell me if I should make a spin-off story or something, mmmKay?**

            Andrew huddled into the corner, the fleece blanket pulled tight around his shoulders.  He was thinking about the last twenty-four hours—in fact, he couldn't stop thinking about the last twenty-four hours.  He and Jonathan had arrived in Sunnydale, only to try to—well, he wasn't sure what they had been trying to do.  Warren hadn't really explained any of it, as it so often went with Warren's plans.  But, just as when Warren had been alive, the plans did not matter, so long as Andrew was included in them.  Now, Jonathan was dead at his own hand, and Spike had attacked him for trying to tell Buffy's friends what he had done.  Nothing was making any sense to him, it was all a muddle of events and instructions, and—God, he'd killed Jonathan.

            "Oh, stop feeling sorry for yourself." Warren grumbled from the opposite side of the room.  "What's done is done.  Do you see me crying?"

            "I'm not crying.  Just go away.  I don't want to talk to you anymore.  And I won't help, either.  We're through, Warren.  You'll just have to find someone else."

            "But, Andy, you're a murderer now.  Do you think the Scoobies are just going to open up their loving arms and let you join the club?  Hell no, Baby, they're gonna grill you on a skillet until they deem you no further use to them.  And then they're just going too hand you over to the cops.  Again,"

            "You don't know that.  You're just messing with my head."

            "Am I?  Come on, we're practically the same.  We've both killed someone—two someones, in my case.  Only, I was a snappier dresser, and I had better hair."  Andrew touched his hair absently.  Warren smirked at the other's reaction to his words.  "So come on, stop pouting, and let's blow this Popsicle stand."

            "No," Andrew stated firmly.

            "What?"

            "I said no.  I never said no to you before, Warren, and I always hated myself for that.  Not anymore.  We are through.  Now you go away, and I never see your spectral self again and I live happily ever after, and you just…do whatever it is you do.  But away from me."

            Warren's lips curled into a grin, and then he laughed.  The sound that came from the ghost made Andrew cringe.  Although it was meant as a display of humour, the laughter was cruel, evil, and mirthless.  Warren stopped abruptly, and stared Andrew down.  "You pathetic Mortal, you have no _idea_ how insignificant to my plan you are.  You are a _pawn_, Andrew, nothing more.  Don't fool yourself into thinking that you have foiled _anything_ that I intend.  This is only the beginning."

            The door opened, and Buffy stood there, framed by the light from the hallway beyond.  "Who are you talking to?"

            Andrew looked back to where Warren had stood, but he was gone.  "No one."  He got up, still clutching the blanket around his shoulders.  "We need to talk."


	2. He Finds Irony

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters.  They belong to Joss and his co-conspirators.  However, if Andrew is tired of being a kick-around character, I'll be glad to snatch him away from them.  This may not be what you were expecting when you wanted me to continue, but I just had to write something cute and fluffy, cuz we all know Andy ain't gonna get any.  And for the record, I believe he swings both ways.

Note: I made Andrew a year younger than everyone else, cuz otherwise he and his brother have to be Twins or something, right?  Tell me if you feel differently.

Irony

            Andrew climbed out the second story window to sit on the roof.  He sat hugging his knees to his chest to fend off the cool breeze that whistled through the branches and mussed his hair.  He had told Buffy everything, starting at the beginning of the formation of the Trio.  He had told her about their plan to take over Sunnydale, and how it had all seemed like a game at first.  Three kids fresh out of high school trying to make something of their frivolous lives.  He had never thought it would go so far as to get someone killed.  The Slayer had barely concealed her laughter when Andrew had talked about Warren and his feelings towards the dark haired boy, but he supposed that was not important anymore.  Warren was dead, and now something more evil than he could have been was using his image—and that of many others—to trick people into doing its bidding.

            He felt like such a fool, and not just because of how gullible he'd let himself become.  A voice had always argued with him that 'Warren' wasn't really _his_ Warren, but he'd wanted to believe it so badly that the voice was ignored.  Andrew threw a cursory glance towards the star-filled sky.  _Look where that's gotten you._

            "Hey!  Don't do it!"

            Andrew strained his neck to see who was calling up to him.  A girl about his age was standing on the sidewalk below him.  He could not make out any of her features in the dark.  "Do what?"

            "Jump!  Don't jump!" she urged frantically.

            "Oh, no I wasn't—"

            "Do you want me to come up there?  We could talk or whatever.  You could get it all off your chest?"

            "No, I've been talking all night.  No offense, I'm just okay.  Really."

            "It's not worth it, you know--jumping, that is.  There's so much life to experience, and—"

            "I said I wasn't gonna jump!" he repeated, a little more harshly than he'd intended.

            "Oh.  Well.  Good."  She put her hands on her hips.  "I'm sorry, I just saw you up on the roof there, and I thought, you know…"

            "Yeah.  Thanks, anyway."  She showed no signs of going away.  He thought she was studying him closely, and it made him feel uncomfortable.  "Is there something else?"

            "You're Andrew Wells, aren't you?"

            "Yeah," he replied, surprised that she knew him, but sounding irritated instead.

            "I wondered what happened to you.  Do you live here now?  'Cause I thought this was the Summers' home."

"No, they still live here."

"Sad thing about Mrs. Summers, huh?  So what are you doing here?  Just hanging out?  On their roof?  Oh!  Are you and Buffy—"

"No!  God no."

"Oh."  She fell silent for a few seconds, then asked, "You don't remember me, do you?"

"I can't hardly see you.  It's dark and all."

"Right.  It's me, Gina Cartlin.  We had tenth grade English together.  We read the same book for midterms."  The name was not ringing any bells, which she guessed by his silence.  "You sat in the back and doodled, and I sat next to the window and watched your reflection.  And then in grade eleven, I was taking pictures for the yearbook, and you would always duck out of the way of crowd shots."  Gina found herself lost in her own memories.  "You wore the same shirt every day for a month.  I started taking pictures just to get you in the background.  I figured that's where you liked to be, anyway.  You don't remember me?"

"No, but you stalked me in high school, that's great."

"Hey, I thought you were cute, and we had the same interests, but I was shy and overweight and I didn't know how to talk to guys, so I never asked you to the Prom or anything."  The sentence came out rushed, but Andrew still caught the key point.

"You were gonna ask me to the Prom?"

"Yeah.  Hey, is it true that your brother unleashed those big dog-things at his Prom?"

"Hellhounds, yeah, that was him."

"That was kinda crazy, hey?"

"Yeah, crazy," Andrew muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"So, tell me, what have you been up to?  Are you still into Star Anything and comic books and stuff?  Are you going to college?"

"Uh, well, yeah to the Star Anything and comic books.  I can't really afford school.  I was working a bit, trying to get some money, but I…I'm not working right now."

"Cool, cool."  Gina nodded.

Andrew carefully moved closer to the edge of the overhang.  "What about you?"

"Oh, not much.  I've been fired three times since Graduation.  I just don't like the mundaneness of retail.  I was always trying to sneak away from the counter.  I write.  I want to be a writer.  Get published and stuff."

"That's so cool!"

"Yeah."  Gina shrugged.  "I kinda used to imagine that I did the writing, and you did the illustrating.  We were a team, y'know?  Anyways, sorry, I'm not trying to freak you out.  I think it's 'cause of the full moon that I'm just babbling like this."

"No, hey, I don't mind.  It's kinda cool."

Gina smiled at him.  "You think so?  I was worried you'd think I was creepy."

"No, I—No."  He shook his head.

"What the hell is going on out here?" Buffy growled from the front porch.

"We were just…reminiscing." Andrew explained.  "Gina, here, was in a coupla my classes in high school."

Buffy was now visible beneath him.  She looked so small from up there.  "What are you doing on the roof?"

"Well, if it eats you feet first, it'll have a tougher time getting me up here, don't you think?"

Buffy shook her head.  "Just get down before you fall."  And then she was back inside the house.

Gina asked, "What eats you feet first?"

Andrew started without thinking, "I'm not sure, actually.  None of us are.  And Warren didn't—uh, nevermind.  Hey, do you wanna go for a walk or something?"

Gina shrugged.  "Are you kidding?  I've been kicking myself for not getting up the nerve to talk to you since high school.  You think I'm gonna say no now?"

Andrew smiled, feeling warm and fuzzy all over.  "I'll be right out."  He went back inside through the window.  A few seconds later, he emerged through the front door.  "Shall we?"  He offered her his arm.

"Hell yes,"

**There, see, wasn't that cute?  Now, please review and tell me what to do next!  Hehe  Maybe Gina's just another incarnation of the Evil thing?  I don't know if I could do that to Andy, tho…Hasn't he been hurt enough?**


	3. He Learns a Secret

Disclaimer: I own nothing in the Buffyverse. I wish I owned Andy. Gina is mine.

Well, here's chapter 3, folks! Enjoy!

Stalker Love

            Andrew awoke with a start to the sound of a woman screaming.  He knew that the TV was still on, and that the screaming woman had been part of the black and white movie showing on the screen.  He knew he had been dreaming, but the images were now gone, lost in the time it took his mind to recall where he was.  Gina was fast asleep on his lap, curled up on the couch in the basement of her house.  Their casual stroll had taken a serious turn after she had laced her fingers in his, and had taken him home.  Once there, they had gone downstairs, and started watching TV, making small talk until some version of Dracula had begun showing, at which time Gina had cuddled up to him, and later fallen asleep.

            Andrew was immensely proud of the way he was handling himself.  Afterall, Gina was the first girl to ever show any interest in him, and even though they had only really met a few hours ago, he felt as if everything was right in the world.  Of course, there was that nagging voice that kept reminding him that Warren, the former love of his life, and Jonathan, his co-Super Villain, were dead, and that there was still something coming that ate you feet first.  But other than that, Andrew was a pretty happy guy at that particular moment in time.  The only thing that could possibly have made him happier would have been to know that Buffy and her friends were marginally worried about what had become of him.

            Feeling that itching urge to get up and stretch after falling asleep in an awkward position (being sitting up on a couch), Andrew carefully moved out from under Gina.  She murmured something construed by sleep, but was unperturbed from her slumber.  He watched her for a few moments, and found himself thinking about Warren.  Andrew had spent a whole night watching Warren sleep, wondering what schemes were playing themselves out in dreamscape, and hoping that he was a part of them—even if only a small part.

            Curiosity tickled his spine, so Andrew tore his gaze away from Gina's sleeping form, and went upstairs.  Her parents were away on business apparently, so the only person he had to fear of waking was Gina herself.  The stairwell opened up into the kitchen, where a lazy tabby was sprawled across the kitchen table.  Andrew remembered Gina telling him the cat's name was Dalton, due to Andrew's preferred Bond actor.  The cat watched him warily as he passed into the living room, but made no move to follow.  Andrew had to lean over the back of the armchair to turn the lamp on.  He turned around to face a sparsely furnished room; only a couch, a TV on a stand, and an organ took up the space around him.  A painting of a ship sailing into a sunset hung over the fireplace.  He went to the TV stand, and opened the cupboard doors.  Three photo albums stood to one side, and on the other was stacked thirty or so movies, including the _Star Trek_ series, the _Star Wars _Trilogy, a pirated copy of the first _Lord of the Rings_ film, Timothy Dalton's two Bond movies, and a slew of taped off the TV cassettes filled with _The X-Files_.  Andrew began to believe that maybe he should allow himself to be creeped out—just a little.

            Andrew reached for the album nearest him, and opened it to the middle.  He was staring at Sunnydale High's graduation, as seen through the eyes of Gina and her family.  It was not Gina's Grad, though.  Andrew turned the page, and his eyes widened in horror.

            "Find anything interesting, Andy?" Gina asked from the doorway.

            Andrew's thoughts went as follows:  _Oh crap!  What do I tell her?  Does she know?  Maybe she doesn't.  But what if she does?  Oh crap!_

            "Just stay cool.  Chances are good that she doesn't know you had anything to with what happened to her sister."

            Andrew lifted his eyes to see Warren crouched next to the TV stand.  "But what if she does?" he whispered back.  "What if it's all been an elaborate plot to get me alone just so she can kill me?"

            Warren's eyes took on an otherworldly glow.  "I won't let her kill you, Andrew.  I'm not done with you yet."

            Andrew closed the photo album, and put it back where he'd found it.  He got up slowly, not taking his eyes from Warren's.  "I didn't want to wake you, and I needed to get up and move around, so I came upstairs where I couldn't, uh, wake you."

            Warren nodded, a mocking smirk on his face.  "You old Smoothie."

            The blond narrowed his eyes at him, then turned to face Gina.  She was still standing in the doorway, her arms folded across her chest.  "Those were Trina's Grad photos, weren't they?"

            Andrew shrugged.  "They were someone's Grad photos."  Gina nodded, shifting her gaze to the floor.  "Is she…your sister?"

            Gina sat down in the chair with a sigh.  "Yeah, Trina was my sister."

            "What happened to her?"  Andrew seated himself, cross-legged, in front of her.

            "Don't play dumb with me, Andy."  Her eyes flashed angrily, but then it was gone.  "She told me what happened, about what you and your friends tried to do to her.  She came back to warn me about you.  Matter of fact, Trina's standing over there by the TV." 

            Andrew chanced a glance over his shoulder, but he saw Warren, not Katrina, standing next to the TV.  "I can't see her."

            "Of course you can't," Gina replied haughtily.  "Only I can see her."  She cocked her head to the side, and leaned forward.  "Trina's mad at you, Andy.  She was going to college and had met this really sweet guy and they were going to go away for a weekend and she was sure he was gonna ask her to marry him, but you took all that away from her.  You have to pay for what you did to her.  She wants me to kill you, Andy."

**Well?  How's that? Are you suspensed? Lemme know what y'all think! Thanks for reading and supporting that madness that is my Andy crush. He's so adorable. *Sigh***


	4. He Gains Insight

Author's Note: I'm so glad I'm not the only one who appreciates Andy's cuteness. =;-)

Without a Paddle 

****

****

            Andrew's eyes widened at Gina's words.  _And to think, twenty minutes ago she was curled up in my lap in a peaceful slumber.  _But he change in Gina ran deeper than it seemed.  It was like suddenly she was a completely different person from the one he had met earlier that evening.  Now she _was_ scary.  "Listen, Gina—"

            "There's nothing you can say, Andrew.  I have to do what she tells me.  It's the only way that Trina will be at peace after what you did to her.  You have to pay.  You killed her—you killed my sister!"  She lunged at him, her eyes wild.  Her fingers tightened around his throat until he was gasping.

            "I didn't do it," he wheezed.  "It was Warren!"

            "Tattletale," Warren muttered.

            Dalton, the cat, entered the room, and hissed.  Gina glared at him, and he ran away.

            Andrew was panicking.  Black and white spots were beginning to form around the edges of his vision.  He tried to gaze pleadingly at Warren, but the spectre did not appear to be eager to offer any assistance.  Andrew's eyes fell on the TV screen, reflecting the fear in his eyes, and he thought of Jonathan, and the look permanently etched into his features at the time of his death:  Pain, fear, hopelessness, helplessness…Obi-Wan Kenobi's voice reminded him that a Jedi knew none of these things.  Or was it Saruman talking to the Uruks?

            "Gina, please—"

            Warren was laughing now, that cruel laugh that always made Andrew feel insignificant.  And then he saw Katrina—or thought he had—and he realized something important, but lost it almost as quickly.  

"Gina, STOP!"  He grabbed her wrists, and shoved her off of him.  He rolled onto his side, filling his lungs.  By the time he had righted himself, Warren was gone, and Gina lay unconscious on the floor.  Fear tore through him as he crawled to her side.  He hadn't meant to hurt her, he'd just wanted to breathe again.  "Gina?"  Andrew rolled her onto her back.  "Gina, are you okay?"  The girl moaned in response, but her eyes stayed closed.  He looked back to where Warren had been standing, saw nothing, then tried again to rouse his attacker.  "Come on, I have a bad feeling about this.  We should leave."

"Andy?  How did we get upstairs?"

"Nevermind that.  Can you walk?"

She regarded him quizzically, saying, "Yeah."

"Good.  Come on.  We gotta talk to Buffy."

"Buffy?  Buffy whose roof you were atop when I rescued you?"

Andrew grinned.  She seemed to be back to normal now.  "The very same."

"Alright, just let me feed Dalton first."

**To be continued…BAH BAH BUMMMM!**

**So, what'd y'all think? Lemme know, K? Cuz I need approval to function. **

**Thanks for reading!**


	5. He Forgives and Forgets

Author's Note:  Let's play a game.  We'll call it Can You Spot the Ferngully Reference? Haha. So here it is, another installment of Andy, Super Villain turned, well, he was always adorable in my eyes. I also feared for Boba Fett's safety, you know.  I have quite the Star Wars collection myself…*cough cough* anyways, I'm sure you don't care about that.

Disclaimer: I own Gina. That's it. The rest is owned by other people. Money? What money?

**Enjoy!**

**The Road Inadvertently Traveled**

            Gina followed closely behind Andrew as he led the way to Buffy's house.  She couldn't put her finger on it, but she sensed that something was off between them.  The funny thing was that she could not remember how she had gotten upstairs.  She fell asleep on the couch in the basement, but she woke up on the living room floor.  She had asked Andrew about it, but he had shrugged and told her not to worry.

            "Are you sure this is the way to Buffy's?" Gina asked, trying to spark conversation.  It had been so easy to open up on the walk to her house, why was it so hard now?

            "Uh, yup."  Andrew nodded.  "Yup, Buffy's is—"

            "What's the logic behind going there again?"

            At this he stopped, and turned around, putting his hands in his pockets.  "'Cause there's something weird going on, and I think that we'd be safer if we stayed with her.  Which I realize now is what she was trying to get me to understand before when she tied me to the chair—"

            Gina's eyes were wide.  "She what?"

            "Well, really it was Xander and actually it was because they thought I was gonna do something evil, but that's ridiculous, right?  I'm not evil.  Not anymore."  Andrew averted his eyes for a moment, then looked up at her sheepishly.  "Do you think I'm evil?"

            Although slightly confused and trying to overcome the being tied to a chair bit, Gina was trying not to laugh.  "No, Andy, I don't think you're evil."

            "Are you sure?"

            Gina tugged at his sleeve until his hand was out of his pocket.  "I'm positive,"

            They resumed walking, this time arm in arm.  "You know, only fools are positive."

            "Are you sure?"

            He smiled at her, and she slipped her arm around his waist.  They got to the next block in a more comfortable silence than before.

            And then suddenly, Gina froze, her entire body going rigid as if she had just been thrown into a river with heavy boulders tied to her feet.

            "What?  What's wrong?" Andrew inquired worriedly.

            Her hand flew to her mouth.  "Oh my God,"

            "What?"

            "I _attacked_ you!"

            Andrew relaxed.  "Oh, _that,_"

            "'Oh that'?  Andy—"

            "It's okay, you weren't," he weighed his words, "you weren't you, is all."

            "I saw Katrina, and she told me to—oh my God!"

            "Hey, come on, calm down, everything's fine.  You didn't hurt me—I mean, you scared me pretty good, but I'm okay.  Let's just get to Buffy's.  She can help.  She's trying to figure this thing out, we just need to get over there, and then maybe we can help, too.  We'll be like Doggett and Reyes, the underdog agents that the fans begrudgingly accept as the new future of the _X Files_."

            Gina was shaking her head, running her fingers through her hair.  "Andy, Trina's dead.  How could I see her and hear her and _obey_ her?  I don't want to hurt you!"

            "I know," Andrew sighed, pulling her into a hug.  "Look, I see dead people, too.  Warren and Jonathan, they pop up from time to time.  And they tell me to do things, too.  It's been happening a lot lately.  Willow and Dawn saw dead people, so they've probably got this already figured out."  Gina pulled away and started pacing.  "Are you gonna be alright?"

            "I dunno, Andy.  I've never tried to kill my high school crush before!"  She stopped and took his hands in hers.  "What if Buffy can't help?"

            "I honestly don't think we have to worry about that.  If Sunnydale is the Matrix, then Buffy is _definitely _the One."

            Gina nodded, convinced.  "Okay, let's get there, then."

            They continued to hold hands.

            "How precious is this?" Warren jeered.  "I mean, look at you two!  Andrew, you finally found a _girl_ to appreciate what a _loser _you are!  I am _so_ proud of you!"  He followed them, but Andrew made no indication that he was even aware of Warren's presence.  "And she's cute, too, Andy.  And that's just the back.  You know, if I was still alive, I'd steal her away from you."

            "Shut up, Warren," Andrew snapped over his shoulder.

            Warren smirked.  "It is _so_ easy to get under your skin, Andrew Dear.  All I have to do is remind you of how insignificant you really are."

            "Umm, Andy?"  Gina tried to get his attention back.

            "One sec."  Andrew released her hand, and strode up to Warren.  "I thought I told you to leave me alone?" he whispered harshly.

            "But how could I stay away from such an adorable couple?  And here I thought you were in love with me.  My heart's broken, Andrew, it really is."

            Andrew was fuming.  "_Don't_ you _dare_ say that now!  You _never_ felt _anything_ towards me!  I was just a puppet to you!  I always did what you told me to do, Warren!  _Always!_  And you never _ever_ thought about me outside of your little schemes and plots."

            "How could I?  I treated you like a puppet because that's what you are, Andrew.  That's all you'll ever be.  You're too pathetic to amount to anything, and you know it.  So take a good long look at your little girlfriend over there, and then look me in the eye and tell me you won't be thinking of me when you sleep with her."

            "Andy, I really think—" He cast a glance her way, and his jaw fell open.  There behind her stood the newly refurbished Sunnydale High School.  "Well, I just thought we were going to Buffy's?"

            "How did--?" but Warren was gone.

How was that? Did you enjoy that? I know the previous chapter was a little meh, so I hope this one's better...Come on, people, where's the Andy heterosexual love? Not that I'm saying I don't wanna be the only one, cuz let's face it, the less competition…well, you get the pitcher.

**Thanks for reading.**


	6. He Confesses a Tale of Woe

So, here it is, another installment of Andy's Woes. Cuz he's sooo cute when he has woes! And he's sooo cute when…when…ALL THE REST OF THE TIME!

**I'm okay, really I am.**

Love Pains 

            Andrew took Gina's hand, leading her away from Sunnydale High.  "Buffy's is this way," he informed her.  He was seething after what Warren had said, but he did not want to take it out on her.

            "Are you sure?" she asked timidly.

            He refused to answer.  Whatever Warren was up to, there was no way Andrew was going back into that building.  Especially if Jonathan was still there, in the basement, his insides exposed to the world, blood everywhere, and vermin nibbling…He shook his head to chase the thoughts away, as he was grossing himself out by thinking them.

They rounded a corner, only to be greeted by the high school once more.

"The hell--?" Gina murmured under her breath.

Andrew set his jaw in determination, and turned down a different street.  Again Sunnydale High loomed in the short distance.

Gina was shaking as her eyes met his.  "What the hell is going on, Andy?"  He exhaled sharply, releasing her hand.  He sat down on the curb, folding his arms across his chest.  "Andy, come on, you gotta tell me.  This is way too weird and scary for me."  Gina lowered herself to his eye level, but he refused to meet her gaze.  "You do know, I can tell."

"It's Warren," he stated venomously.

"Why?"

Andrew shrugged.  "He said he wasn't done with me yet.  Maybe I'm s'posed to sacrifice you since sacrificing Jonathan didn't work.  But I told him I wouldn't help him anymore.  I told him to go away.  He won't listen."  More quietly, he added, "Warren's a jerk."

"I'm getting that impression."  She made him look at her.  "D'you wanna tell me about him?"

Andrew flinched.  "Not really."  He took her hands in his.  "But I guess I owe you that much."  He took a deep breath, then began, "M-Me, Jonathan and Warren banded together to take over Sunnydale 'cause we realized that we couldn't build She-bots and play Dungeons & Dragons for, like, ever.  The plan went kinda really wrong, and K-Katrina was the victim of the…g-going…wrong.  Warren totally freaked out and made us f-frame Buffy for the…accident.  When it didn't really work out the way he wanted it—'cause everything's gotta be Warren's way, Warren's way or the highway."  He shook his head, then realized he was off-track.  Andrew continued, "He went after Buffy and killed Willow's girlfriend, and then Willow went all bad-ass witch and k-killed Warren.  Meanwhile, me 'n Jonathan were in jail, and then Anya broke us out 'cause Willow was coming after us, but then Xander reminded Willow of the good old days and something about breaking crayons to turn her good again.  But me 'n Jonathan had already fled to Mexico," he paused, then added with a shrug,  "to escape her wrath.

"We both started having dreams.  I'm not sure if Jonathan saw Warren, but I did, and he convinced me to come back to Sunnydale.  And, oh look, our old school was back to standing," he jerked his thumb over his shoulder to indicate the structure, "and Warren told us where to find the door to the H-Hellmouth, and then I—" he gulped nervously, 

"—m-murdered Jonathan to open it.  But there wasn't enough b-blood, so nothing happened, and then Willow found me and took me to Buffy's.  Enter the tying me to a chair and questioning me about the Evil Thing, but I don't really know anything about it except that it can look like Warren."  He added, "Honest."

Gina was nodding.  "So, for whatever reason, it would seem that this Evil Thing That Can Look Like Warren wants you to go back to school."

"You're not disturbed by the fact that I just confessed to hallucinating my dead Love and murdering my best friend in cold blood?"

"I am disturbed about that, Andy, I am, but I think there's a bigger issue here that we need to deal with first."  Andrew blinked at her.  "Come on, let's go inside, and see where else we're led."  Gina straightened, and started up the walk.

"Wait!"  Andrew leapt to his feet in protest.  "I _will not_ go in there!  I _can't_ go in _there!  _Don't you get it?  Evil, scary things happen in there!"

She put her hands on her hips as she turned towards him.  "Andy, it's a _high school_, of course evil, scary things happen here.  Like trig, algebra, calculus, physics, and—oh!—gym class.  Organized team sports, just not my thing."

"Yeah, dodgeball's dangerous," he agreed.  "Hey!  Don't patronize me!"

"I'm not, I promise."

"I won't go in there," he reiterated stubbornly.  "You can't make me."

"Fine."  She threw her hands in the air.  "So, what's your better idea?"

**Thanks for reading, and thanks for all your grrroovy reviews, I love you all! I could not be doing this without you, and of course, especially not without Tom. Baby, I want you in my room STAT! Err…was that out loud?  =;-)**


	7. He Hates his Life

**Author's note: I've got a direction!**

Something More Familiar 

****

            "Life hates me," Andrew whined.

            "That makes two of us," Gina replied.  "We should have brought flashlights.  Mulder and Scully woulda had flashlights."

            "Giant lighthouse flashlights," Andrew agreed.

            The pair had entered the high school after all, despite Andrew's reluctance.  They had debated for almost ten minutes, but neither had come up with a better plan.  Gina was in the lead, though she wasn't sure what aspect of the high school they were supposed to investigate.  Andrew followed her closely, tugging at the cuffs of his shirt as his eyes skittered along the darkened hallways of the school.

            "Hey, look!"  Gina ran a short distance ahead.

            "H-Hey!" Andrew exclaimed.  "Don't do that!"  He ran after her.  "What's the rush?"

            "This is my old locker!" Gina replied excitedly.

            "Um, Gina, I think your old locker was destroyed, along with the rest of the school."

            "Pfft, you're no fun," she admonished.  "D'you think the combination's still the same?"

            "I think my previous statement applies.  If your locker was destroyed, then the combination cannot possibly be the same."

            Gina rolled her eyes, then turned the dial.  "Eighteen, forty-three, nine," she counted as she spun the dial.  There was a click, and then the locker opened.  "Huh, what are the chances?"

            Andrew folded his arms across his chest, but it was more to comfort himself than to show signs of irritation.  Somehow he knew that Gina being able to open this very locker could not be a good thing, and must therefore be the work of Evil Warren.  "I have a bad feeling about this."

            Gina pulled out a notebook, and leafed through the pages.  "Well, that's odd,"

            Andrew tried to steal a glance at the contents.  "Oh?  What's odd exactly?"

            She folded the cover back, and the book up for him to see.  "This isn't written in English.  Nor is it French or Latin."

            "You speak French?"

            Gina shrugged.  "A little,"

            "Cool," Andrew replied.

            "I have many talents, Andy Wells, that you may get to see later."  She winked at him, and he blushed.  "You are so adorable," she gushed.

            "Uhh…it's erasing itself."  He indicated the notebook.

            Gina regarded the page curiously.  "So it is."  She flipped to the next one.  "It's all blank, the whole book!  What do you think it means?"

            "I think it means we should leave.  _Now_," Andrew insisted.

            "Aw, c'mon, Andy, stay awhile," Warren pleaded.

            Andrew jumped, then spun around.  Warren's eyes glinted an eerie gold in the dark.  "N-not you again."  The blond tried to keep the whine and fear out of his voice.

            "Yeah, it's me again, Andrew, old buddy.  I try, but I just can't stay away."

            Gina dropped the notebook and latched onto Andrew's arm.  "I can see him."

            "Uh-huh,"

            "He has no skin."

            Andrew wrinkled his nose, but Warren looked like Warren to him.  "S-so, uh, that thing you did with the book just now, what was that for?"  Andrew put as much defiance in his voice as he could muster.

            "That was for fun.  I thought it would be a neat touch."

            "Why do you want us here in the high school?"

            Warren shrugged.  "I wanted Andrew in the high school because he has some unfinished business to attend to.  You're inconsequential to me."

            "Oh."  Gina nodded.  "Good to know."

            "I don't have any u-unfinished b-business, Warren.  I told you, no more k-killing."

            "This isn't about killing, Andrew.  It's just about dying.  Come now, Kiddies, follow Uncle Warren to the basement."  Warren turned, and starting leading them away.

            "N-no," Andrew said, but he found himself following, anyway.

            Gina was pulling on his arm, trying to hold him back.  "Andy, wait!"

            Warren stopped, and glanced at Gina over his shoulder.  "You can come, too, Precious."

            "I think he's gonna make me kill you," Andrew whispered.

            "I hope not," she returned.


	8. He Has an Epiphany

Is anyone still reading this? I know it's been eons, and I'm sorry. My tires deflated and this story sorta died, but it's back on track now!

**Disclaimer: Gina: Mine. Plot: Mine. Buffyverse: Joss Whedon, lord over all things good tv should contain**

****

****

Coming to Terms 

            The air was heavy, dank and musty.  It was worse than Andrew remembered it.  He cringed every time he took a breath.  He tried desperately to turn around and run back up the stairs, but his feet would not obey.  He could not escape Warren. He wondered now if he had ever really expected to.

            Gina followed, her expression blank, her eyes staring, unblinking, at the floor.

            "Hey, Gina, you all right?" Andrew asked quietly, hoping Warren would not hear him.

            Gina looked up, confused.  "Why can't I run away?"

            Andrew shrugged.  "I can't either."

            "You don't have to whisper, I can hear everything you say," Warren informed them over his shoulder.

            Andrew scowled.  He was more afraid than he wanted to admit, but he did not want to show it, for Gina's sake.

            And then they were there.

            Andrew gasped, and tried to look away, but he could not.  Warren would not let him.

            "Oh, my God," Gina gasped, squeezing her eyes shut.

            There, lying over the Seal, was Jonathan.  No one had found his body yet, otherwise he would not still be there.  His lifeless eyes stared upward, his face frozen in an expression of shock, and something else...

            Warren was staring at Andrew, absorbing his reaction.  "You can see it, can't you? He couldn't _believe_ you were capable of doing him in.  At that moment, just before the light went out, he realized that hope is an illusion that he clung to too long."

            Andrew was shaking his head, fighting tears.

            "Why are you doing this?" Gina asked, her eyes still shut tight.

            "I'm sending out a message to all who dare defy me, and it is simply this: You _can't_."

            "But what does it have to do with us?"

            "I defied him.  I told him to go away.  Now he's rubbing it in my face that he'll never go away," Andrew answered.  "I chose this when I joined Warren and Jonathan in the first place, and I've been running from it ever since it turned ugly.  But I have nowhere else to run to."

            "Tell him what he's won, Jonny!"

            Jonathan's lifeless corpse sat up.  "An eternity of torment in hell, Warren!"

            "Oh God," Andrew gasped.

            Gina opened her eyes and screamed.

**Are you askeered? I am! I promise to finish this story by next weekend. If I don't, you can email me nasty threatening letters until I do, K?  Thanks for reading!**


	9. He Saves The Day

Well, here it is! Finally, the LAST CHAPTER! YAY! 

Enjoy, cuz you've been waiting a loooong time!

When to Run Away

****

            Jonathan's corpse laughed heartily.  Warren grinned.  Gina screamed.  Andrew stood still.  He had nothing left to give this nightmare.

            "Quite the pair o' lungs she's got on her, hey, Andrew?" Warren said with a chuckle.  "I like it!"

            "Let her go, Warren.  I'll s-stay, and y-you can do whatever you w-want to me, but l-let her go.  Y-you said yourself you don't need her."

            Warren cocked his head to the side disapprovingly.  "You've resorted to pleading for your new girlfriend's life, have you?  How irritatingly noble."

            "I'm not t-trying to be noble.  I just d-don't want you to h-hurt her because of me."

            Jonathan got up and brushed himself off.  "It's funny, Andrew.  See, even when we were playing at super-villainy, I never guessed you'd have a mean streak.  Guess I shouldn't have underestimated the power of being blond."

            "Hey!  Just because I killed you doesn't mean you get to be a jerk."  Andrew scowled.

            "Sure it does!" Jonathan returned.  "It gives me _every_ right.  I'm DEAD.  And it's _your fault!"_

            Gina pulled herself together enough to realize that the corpse was advancing on her.  "Oh, gross."  She tried to back away, but could not command her legs to move.

            "You're extremely pretty, Miss," Jonathan told her.  "I never would have been able to tell you that in real life, but now that I'm dead it doesn't seem like such a big deal."

            "Andrew, don't be rude.  Introduce her to Jonathan," Warren prompted.

            "Uh, Jonathan, this is Gina, Gina, Jonathan," he presented them to each other.  "Jonathan, if you t-touch her, I _will_ k-kill you again."

            Jonathan frowned at his former accomplice.  "How rude,"

            "I agree."  Warren nodded.  "Well—" he rubbed his hands together "—what say you to getting down to business?"

            The corpse turned back to Gina.  In the blink of an eye, his hands were around Gina's throat.

            "No!"  Andrew could not move.  "Warren, please!"

            "Save her, Andrew.  Help her!  You can do it, if you could just take four steps forward.  Oh, but you're stuck!  You're feet are rooted into the dirt.  Dammit, why am I doing this to you, right?  We used to be friends.  We used to mean something to each other!  Just believe that it's for the greater good—or evil, actually."  Warren laughed.  "You see, you've proven your usefulness to me once again; I'll use _her_ blood to complete the ritual that you chickened out of.  And then I shall rise and destroy, just like we planned."

            Andrew tuned Warren out.  He should have expected that, given Andrew's attention span for such long-winded speeches.  Andrew focused instead on Gina.  He had to get to her.  He had to stop Jonathan before it was too late.  But how?  He wondered how much of his friend was left in the mind of the corpse, or if it was just a tool Warren was using to reach his ends.

            There was only one way to find out.

            "I taped over your Battletech tapes with Deep Space Nine."

            Jonathan released Gina and whirled on Andrew.  _"You what?"_ he roared.

            Warren frowned.  "Uh, Jonathan—"

            Andrew set his shoulders back and stuck out his jaw.  "You heard me,"

            Gina coughed and gasped for breath.  She managed a weak, "Andy, don't…" as Jonathan stalked toward him.

            "It's all right, Gina.  I know what I'm doing," he reassured her.

            Jonathan nodded.  "So do I.  I'm going to kill you."

            "What?" Warren burst in.  "No!  Not yet, you brainless…corpse!"

            Jonathan growled at Warren, then turned back to Andrew.  "I'm going to kill you very, very, very slowly and painfully."

            Andrew winced at his words, but stood his ground as bravely as he could.  "Bring it on," he said, narrowing his eyes.  "It's what I deserve," he added to himself.

            Gina sprinted for the shovel leaning against the wall.

            "Jonathan!" Warren cried out, reaching towards her in vain.

            It was too late.  Andrew ducked just in time as Gina swung the shovel at the corpse's head.  The neck separated easily, and the body dropped to the ground.

            "NO!" Warren screamed.  "This isn't finished!  For either of you!  Not by a long shot!" and then he vanished.

            "We'll be waiting," Andrew replied.  He felt it was appropriate at that particular point in time.

            Gina smiled at him.  They fell into each other's arms and kissed passionately.

~ * ~

            "Andrew!  Andrew!  Are you deaf?!"

            "Huh?"  He shook his head to clear the cobwebs.  He looked around him, reminding himself of his surroundings.  He inched closer to the edge of the roof to peer down on Buffy.

            "I said," the Slayer emphasized, "_Get_ down, before you _fall_ down."  She shook her head, then went into her house, mumbling about hostages and Potentials and why they all had to fall on her.

            "Guestage," Andrew said to himself.  "I'm not a hostage anymore.  I'm a guestage because they aren't forcing me to stay, nor are they forcing me to leave."

            He crawled back to the window, and went inside, wondering if he would survive what was coming, and if so, what his future would hold…

**It wasn't the ending I was originally planning, but it just felt right while I was writing it to do that. This way, it doesn't affect the way the show ended, etc, etc. Well, that makes it sound like a safe ending, but that wasn't why I originally did it. I kinda had this thought that, "Hey, you know what would be cool? If it was all a daydream—a prelude to 'Storyteller'! Yeah!" So, that's why I did it. (If you wanted the breakdown.) Anyways, I hope you enjoyed. I liked writing it, as long as it took to do…Thanks for reading! Now, please review and put a smile of satisfaction on my face! Thanks again!**


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